GAMERGATE
by Cor Tenebrae
Summary: For months the gamergate controversy has raged on, with one side claiming that it is about ethics in journalism, and the other claiming it is a hate filled misogynistic backlash against women, but which side have I come to support? Warning, I fall pretty heavily on one side or another. Read at your own risk.


I support gamergate.

I felt that it was important to say that first, to put it right out there front and center. I did it because I knew that there will be some of you, not all and certainly nowhere near the majority, but there will be certain individuals who will cease reading my words immediately and move on, invariably labeling me a feminist hating misogynist who is likely a far right Tea Partier as well.

Those on this site and in this fandom that know me well know that this is not the case, and I believe that anyone who is at all familiar with my stories in Halo fanfiction will understand that this is not the case.

Do I support feminism?

I will admit I do not personally label myself a feminist, but rather an egalitarian. Again, those people that know me in this fandom understand that I am a person who deeply values logic, rigorous moral introspection, as well as Platonian metaphysics. There is a reason why I call myself an egalitarian rather than a feminist, one that I will not go into here because if I do I will spend the entire time talking about it. Rather than dive into that rabbit hole how about I simply rephrase the question.

Do I support the main goal of feminism, that men and women should be treated equally?

Yes, emphatically. I believe that merit, not race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or ethnicity, should be the only factor in determining the worth of an individual. I believe that historically women have been an oppressed group of people. I believe that within the greater historical context feminism has been a force of good in the world. I also believe that there is still much more good feminism can accomplish in the 21st century, especially in the developing world where the western ideas of gender equality are still being suppressed. Where a teenage girl can be shot in the head by terrorists simply for advocating for equal rights.

I support feminism, and it is because I support feminism that I support gamergate.

I'm sure that some of you will be confused by that statement. The mainstream gaming media, with the exception of Forbes and The Escapist as well as several smaller gaming news sites and YouTube personalities, has been almost universal in their claims that all gamergate is a right wing reactionary movement created with the sole intent of driving vocal women out of the industry.

Of course it should be of some note that the media outlets that are claiming gamergate to be nothing more than a women hating movement are the same sites that have been accused of unethical journalism by said movement.

What is gamergate about then?

That answer is two fold.

First is that it is about ethics in journalism. I'm sure that if you are at all familiar with the controversy you have heard that main talking point before, but what does that really mean? Is it a political feel good statement without any real meaning behind it and is actually hollow when you begin to examine it closely, or is there some real meat to it?

Well if you believe that it is okay for gaming journalists to have financial ties to the subjects they are writing about, or that it is okay for them to have close personal friendships, or previous romantic relationships all without disclosing any of it then the former might be true for you. If you believe that it is okay for large corporate developers such as EA to throw lavish parties for said journalists, to give them free food, free drinks, as well as other presents and incentives to review a game well, then the former is true for you. If you believe that the gaming media exists as yet another advertising arm of the gaming industry rather than as an advocate for gamers then the former is true for you.

If you believe that it is okay for people to allow their own personal, political, and ideological biases to influence what stories get covered and what stories are buried. If you believe that there is nothing wrong with GameJournalistsPro, that it is perfectly fine for a group of the most prominent members of gaming media to collude together in order to suppress information even to the point of censorship and personal attacks. If you believe that there is nothing inherently dangerous about corporations and businesses having the ability to suppress free speech, free thought, and free expression, then the former is undoubtedly true for you.

What is the second goal of gamergate then? I am sure you have heard of this one as well, and I will be perfectly blunt with you. Gamergate is, at its essence, a culture war against an insidious, narcissist, and toxic group of individuals many have come to call Social Justice Warriors.

Wait a minute, you are against social justice?

No, of course not. Social justice is a wonderful thing, and it is because I support social justice that I am against SJWs. You see there is a very big difference between a social justice advocate and a Social Justice Warrior. The advocate, or activist, does nothing for personal gain and is concerned only with supporting the rights of the group they claim to represent. They are an undeniable force of good in this world, and it is because I support them that I absolutely loath the SJW.

A Social Justice Warrior. A person who claims to believe in social justice, but in reality cares about nothing but themselves, and only exists as an advocate for themselves. They support no cause other than themselves, and use minorities, women, and other oppressed groups to shield themselves from criticism. They enforce strict ideological adherence, the morality of which is based solely on emotion rather than logic or reasoning, but will not hesitate to throw their own beliefs under the bus if it is to their own benefit. They will attack, harass, send death threats to, and actively encourage those that disagree with them to commit suicide, and if anyone from the oppressed groups they claim to represent offers even the mildest of criticism then they will be declared to have internalized misogyny, internalized racism, internalized homophobia, or internalized transphobia.

What these sayings are code words for is obvious.

Race traitor.

Sex traitor.

The SJW is not the hero of social justice. They are the enemies of it. They are the Jacobins of our day.

The Jacobins, a political party formed during the French Revolution who campaigned against tyranny, suppression of freedom of speech, and the death penalty. The Jacobins who once they were granted power sought to exterminate the very ideals the Revolutionaries fought so hard to win. In the name of the Revolution they formed the Committee of Public safety, an oligarchy which concentrated power into a handful of individuals and ruled France with an iron fist. In the name of the Revolution they suppressed freedom of speech, making it a crime not only to criticize the Jacobins but also for not being enthusiastic enough about the Revolution. It was in the name of the Revolution that the Jacobins brought about the Reign of Terror, committing acts of mass murder against their own people. In the name of the Revolution they summarily executed, often without trial or any due process, fifty thousand French men, women, and children. In the name of the Revolution 800 people in Paris were sent to the guillotine within a single month.

That is the danger of group think. That is the danger that occurs when one group of people, no matter how noble their cause may be, declares themselves to be above criticism.

Wow, you really hate SJWs don't you?

Yes. Because I support feminism, social justice, and equality I make myself an enemy of the SJW because I see them as the greatest threat against those three things.

Okay…but how does this tie back in with ethics in journalism?

Because I believe that many, not all, but many games journalists today are SJWs. I believe that they don't really care about social justice or feminists issues but are merely using them for their own self interests. I believe that instead of supporting equality they are instead subverting facts, supporting stereotypes, and are seeking to create greater division within the gaming community.

But there have been a lot of shitty things the gamergaters have been doing. Death threats, bomb threats, and actual acts of misogyny against said games journalists. You can't really deny that has been happening can you?

No I can't. Yes, a very small minority of people have been using the controversy as an opportunity to do and say some very vile and horrible things. I do not support these people, and I will actively condemn those I see acting in such a manner.

I will say this though. From what I have seen gamergate, perhaps more than any other movement I have witnessed in my life, has been excellent in policing itself and has actively discouraged and condemned those people who would do and say those horrible things. Spend some time on the gamergate hashtag on twitter, or go onto Kataku in Action on Reddit, or even venture into the dark abyss of 8chan. Spend some time there and I guarantee you will be hard pressed to find any calls for violence or endorsements of misogyny. And if perhaps a single person attempts to do so watch how quickly the other gamergate supports will denounce them and reprimand them for such actions.

And do not forget that the antigamergate supporters have been engaging in the same tactics. That they have sent death threats, bomb threats, have doxed, harassed, and attacked websites supporting gamergate. Where is the condemnation for these actions? There is nothing but silence from the websites such as Polygon, Kataku, and Gamasutra, and with their silence the implication is clear. It is perfectly fine to engage is such morally reprehensible behavior, so long as it is against people we disagree with.

But doesn't supporting gamergate enable the harassment of women, even if it is being done by a small minority, and even if you gamergaters are doing your best to condemn such actions?

That is like saying being a Muslim enables radical Islamic terrorists like ISIS, or that being a Christian enables people like the Westboro Baptist Church.

It is like saying that you should not be a feminist because it enables misandry and radical feminists who advocate the hashtag #killallmen on tumblr and who are actively sexist against men.

Whatever context you put it in that logic is asinine. A movement cannot be held accountable for the radicals acting out on the fringes of said movement. As I said the gamergate supporters have been actively condemning and reporting those who engage in harassment and death threats to the proper authorities no matter what side of the ideological spectrum they happen to fall on. The same cannot be said of the anti gamergate supporters who are quick to call out harassment when it happens to them but are silent when it is against those who they disagree with.

Well you have been silent about this whole controversy so far. Why are you talking about it now? What made you decide to be pro gamergate?

I decided to support gamergate because I am against censorship. When I saw the mass deletions happening on Reddit, when I saw accounts on dozens of websites being banned for merely mentioning gamergate even though their comments did not violate the terms of service, when evidence came forward that members of the gaming media colluded together to enact this Orwellian crackdown on free speech, that is when I decided to support gamergate.

But the owners of the websites have every right to do that. It's not like they are the government, so they're not bound by the Constitution right?

Yes, because a corporation or business cannot suppress individual rights. It is only the government that can take away your freedoms. I guess the Supreme Court got the Hobby Lobby decision right after all.

Just because a person has the right to do something does not automatically make it right, and the mass censorship campaign that I and tens of thousands of others witnessed was wrong no matter how anyone tries to frame it. I will always make myself an enemy of censorship, no matter how noble the cause or how good the intentions are, and I will make myself an enemy of anyone who participates or advocates for it.

If you are so passionate about this why has it taken you so long to say something?

There are purely selfish reasons why I have waited so long to say something. I waited so long because I was afraid I would lose part of my readership, that many people would stop reading my stories if I decided to say anything on here. I realize that this was cowardly of me. I understand that I am one of the more popular writers in Halo fanfiction. Not the most popular, not by far, but I do have a sizable audience. A megaphone if you will, and because I was selfish I did not want to use it to promote a cause I believe in for fear that it will hurt me.

There was one catalyst, one spark that made me change my mind. A tweet by George Reese.

The #Gamergate cabal are technology world's ISIS.

Yes, I am just like ISIS.

I who remember September 11th with vivid clarity, sitting on my parents couch scared out of my mind as an eleven year old kid, watching the plane strike the World Trade Center over and over again, not knowing if my mother was still alive. I who have known people who have been shot at, blown up by IEDs, and have had their lives put in constant mortal danger by terrorists like ISIS.

So I would like to thank you, George Reese, for comparing me to those people. I really fucking appreciate it. I am also absolutely positive that the families of the journalists beheaded by ISIS, as well as the tens of thousands of other victims, really appreciate the comparison as well.

I would also like to thank those SJWs that I have encountered throughout the course of this controversy who have said that because I am a white cis man that I have no idea what it is like to be oppressed.

I would like to thank them for attempting to erase the systematic oppression, discrimination, enslavement, and genocide of my ancestors. (I'm Irish btw)

Never mind that for the majority of my public school years I was bullied and harassed to the point I developed severe depression. That I was called faggot, queer, and every other homosexual slur that you can think of simply because I was slightly different. That I was called retarded, stupid, and an idiot by kids my own age because of a learning disability that made it so I did not know how to read or write until I was nearly in the third grade. That my public school teachers did not give a fuck about me because I was the 'slow' kid and therefore not worth their time or energy. That I have been told constantly, time and again that because I am Catholic that I am not a real Christian. That the KKK and Neo Nazis hate my fucking guts because of how I choose to worship God.

But other than those tiny little things I have absolutely no clue what it is like to be discriminated against. To be bullied for being different.

And that is what it really comes down to when it comes to my support for gamergate. I loath bullies, and I hate hypocrisy, especially moral hypocrisy, even more. That is all that I see from the antigamergate side. Hypocrisy and bullying.

Feminism is important. Social justice is important, and I am seeing those things being destroyed by the very people who claim to uphold them. They do so thing.

Our generation was promised many things, and among those things was equality, freedom, and a society that does not discriminate against others based on race or gender, and I channel the spirit of Charlie Chaplin when I say that by the promise of these things brutes have risen to power, but they lie. They do not fulfill that promise, and they never will.

Social Justice Warriors only wish to free themselves, and to enslave the very people they claim to represent. Now it is time to fight to fulfil that promise, to fight for a better world. A decent world. A world where merit alone determines the worth of a human being.

And that is why these journalists, these SJWs, fear gamergate, because for the first time they are facing a true social justice movement, for we are not the reactionary white male radical conservatives they falsely claim us to be.

We are Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians.

We are Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Atheists.

We are Black, White, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, and every other race, color, and ethnicity there is.

We are men, women, transgender, gay, lesbian, and bisexual.

We are not one ideology, one race, one gender, one sexuality, or one religion. There are no prerequisites to join our movement except for the belief in ethics and the denial of radicalism.

We are not your shield.

We are the face of true social justice.

We are #Gamergate.


End file.
